


The Red Gate

by MakaylaJade



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Can be platonic or romantic, Gen, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M, Sex Work, Strippers & Strip Clubs, you choose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 22:29:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30011919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakaylaJade/pseuds/MakaylaJade
Summary: A case back home reminds Reid of a time he'd rather not remember.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	The Red Gate

**Author's Note:**

> this is based off of a prompt on Tumblr - trash but I hope you enjoy!

Coming home was always hard to do. Spencer was sometimes happy to see his mother again, but most of the time he felt anxious, because he always felt like he had to look over his shoulder. He had quite a past in Las Vegas, often partaking in the sex scene just to earn a little bit of money to keep himself and his mom fed. As a sixteen year old, he had known very well that it was foolish to get involved in something like that, but he often felt like he had no other choices. He had just recently graduated from college with his undergrad in math, but his mom was getting worse and until he turned eighteen, he had to keep it under the radar, else he would be relocated as a ward of the state. Being a sex worker was not an experience he would have liked to remember, but alas, it would forever be engrained in his memory. There were many people he dind’t want to remember, and even now, he felt like he was in danger of running into one of them again.

Las Vegas was huge though, with more than half a million people in it, so to think that someone would recognize him now, more than ten years later, was a bit ridiculous, but it seemed that even a genius could be surprised.

They were invited in by the Las Vegas PD, since sex workers were being killed, their bodies found behind strip clubs they worked at or other nearby joints. Spencer really didn’t think anything of it; it was just a normal case. Or, at least, that was what he thought. Upon arriving to the department, at least four victims had been confirmed, all killed by exsanguination due to suffering multiple stab wounds. They were making decent headway into the investigation, but Hotch decided to send Reid and Morgan to a local strip club where two out of the four victims had worked to talk to some of the other workers there, specifically the manager, a Gary Holiday.

That name alone had sent chills up Spencer’s spine, but he couldn’t back out now, else he would only look more suspicious. Gary Holiday, manager of The Red Gate strip club in downtown Las Vegas, was a very well known man in the underworld of the sex trade. Now, to be clear, Spencer didn’t think all sex work was bad. It could be very profitable and safe if managed properly, but Gary was not a very compassionate manager. The Red Gate was strictly only a strip club - at least, on the outside. But secretly, Gary pimped his dancers out rather they wanted to or not, threatening them with their job and other typical tactics of manipulation that pimps used. Spencer felt right into his hands when he was a fresh sixteen year old, and Gary didn’t care about his age at all. 

So when they pulled up to The Red Gate, he was understandably nervous, his palms sweaty and his heart rate seeding up considerably. But Morgan didn’t seem to notice, so they both entered the red doors of the black building together. On the inside, not much had changed. The lighting was still the same, the decor hadn’t changed. The only thing that was different were the workers. New faces, new people, none of them Spencer recognized. A dancer who was working the floor sauntered up the Derek, ignoring Spencer completely in favor of the muscular man.

“Hey baby, how about we get a drink in you? I can help you relax,” she offered promiscuously. 

“As much as I’m considering it, sweetheart, we have a job to do. Agents Morgan and Reid, FBI,” Derek said, flashing his badge to her effortlessly. Reid did the same, and the woman’s eyes almost bulged out of her head in surprise. “We’d like to talk to a Gary Holiday.”

“O-Oh... Mr. G? I’m not sure if he’s here yet but I can bring you to his office,” she insisted with a serious expression on her face, turning promptly and leading them further into the depths of The Red Gate, her pink rhinestone thong leaving little to the imagination as she strutted forward in her white stilettos. Neither man cared much about her appearance though, not when women like her were turning up dead.

“Mr. G? You have visitors?” she called while knocking on a door down a dark hallway.

“Ain’t got time for ‘em,” he called back simply.

“U-Um... You might want to make time... Sir,” the woman said, sounding a bit nervous now. Gary always did have a bad temper and he was not shy when it came to... physical reprimand. A moment of silence was heard before the door was thrown open, a middle aged man on the other side. He was not bad looking, not at all, but perhaps that was part of his appeal. He was tall, around Spencer’s height, with broad shoulders and a mean frown. But before he could even curse them out, his eyes caught sight of Spencer, and Spencer nearly shuddered at the smile that grew on his thin lips.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here... Spence, baby... What’s it been, ten years?” he asked, leaning against the wall, a predatory look in his eyes. Reid could feel Morgan’s sharp eyes glancing back and forth between them, most likely confused. But Spencer didn’t even look at Morgan, feelings shame well up in his throat.

“Twelve, actually. It’s been twelve years,” he corrected.

“Twelve years... Imagine that sweet ass of yours hasn't changed a bit,” Gary said, Morgan’s eyes widening as Reid raised his credentials once again, only for Gary’s smile to drop and his eyes to narrow at the sight.

“Would you look at that, a cockslut like you actually _can_ do something with themselves. I never imagined you’d end up with the FBI, though,” Gary said with a newfound smirk on his face, arms crossed over his chest.

“Watch it,” Morgan hissed lowly, and Spencer swallowed nervously as the tensions grew.

“Who’s this, your new pimp?” Gary said, laughing at his own joke, “Never thought you’d come back to this place, Spence. The FBI not cutting it for you? You had to suck at least one dick to get to where you are though.”

Before Morgan even had the chance to say anything, Reid spoke up quickly, “It’s _Dr. Reid_ , actually. We’re here to investigate the deaths of four women, so we don’t have time for your insulting backhanded comment,” he said, leaving both men stunned in silence before continuing on, “Don’t waste our time, Mr. Holiday. What can you tell us about these women?”

Gary lost the attitude almost immediately, talking with them briefly but proving to be pretty useless since he had no valuable information. Spencer wished he never would have came, because meeting Gary again after so many year brought up many bad memories would have preferred stayed locked away. When they were leaving, Spencer was just out the door when he heard Gary call out, “Come see me again, Spence, and maybe we can have some fun, like old times.” He didn’t even bother gracing him with a response, but Morgan clearly heard it. 

They made it back to the SUV, both were silent and unmoving for nearly an entire minute before Morgan decided to breach the uncomfortable silence, looking over towards Spencer with concern in his dark eye.

“Reid...” he started, “What was that?”

Spencer didn’t response right away, glancing out the window to The Red Gate once more before shaking his head and looking down at his hands which fidgeted in his lap.

“Nothing,” he said, “Just... something from my past.”

“Reid,” Morgan said again, his tone patronizing, “Talk to me, pretty boy.”

Spencer sighed, gnawing on his bottom lip.

“Just... I was a stripper, alright?” he said, sounding more defeated than anything. “I was so young... I thought it was alright, if sex wasn’t involved, but... Gary, just... he talked me into it and I couldn’t get away from it. I didn’t have a choice, he threatened to blackmail me. He said he would alert family services so that I would be taken away from my mom. I had to wait until I was eighteen to get my mom institutionalized,” he explained.

“Oh, Reid...” Morgan said slowly, pity clear on his face, and that only proved to make Spencer feel worse.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Spencer begged, hazel eyes wide and desperate, “Please, Morgan, I can’t... They can’t know.” Morgan sighed and seemed a bit conflicted, but ultimately he reached over and took one of Reid’s hands, squeezing it gently and looking over the younger man’s face before meeting his eyes.

“I won’t,” he promised, “I won’t tell a soul.”

Spencer sighed in relief, looking down at their hands which stayed conjoined during the entire drive back to the precinct. Morgan would keep it a secret, but he would never be able to dispel the awful memories of The Red Gate. 

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr - @makaylajadewrites


End file.
